Adjusting to the Unfamiliar
QUESTION
Dear Joey, I’ve been professionally writing in a certain genre for most of my life. It feels comfortable to me, and the process of thinking about how to write this genre is clear. However, I’d like to branch out and explore other genres.
Unfortunately, whatever I start, I hit a wall.
What are some ways of reframing this challenge that can get me writing again? Perhaps there are some techniques or practices that I can adopt to get me feeling creatively malleable? Thanks so much for your advice.
—Lisa
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ANSWER
Dear Lisa, comparing the quality of the genre you feel comfortable with against the one you don’t can certainly be disheartening. I’ve been there (in the past I was particularly averse to editorial design). Here are three suggestions that you may find helpful.
1. Remind
On one hand, you have a writing skill that you’re proud of and confident in. On the other hand, you’re attempting to engage a skill that’s so similar to the first it’s disappointing—and almost confusing—when it doesn’t come as easy. The first step is to remind yourself of how long it took you to gain proficiency in the former.
How can you do that? If possible, go back and read some of your early work. It should help you put into perspective where you came from and how much you had to work to get there.
2. Replicate
It’s easy on the psyche to be terrible at something we are unfamiliar with. However, when we try something we expect to be in our wheelhouse but isn’t, that’s much more difficult to accept. It’s hard to remember that we need to put in the time to gain familiarity all over again.
So—go do something you know you’re terrible at. Fail. Laugh about it. Doing so will replicate how you should feel about the other new thing you’re doing.
I purposefully picked up the trumpet for the first time when I was thirty three. Couldn’t play a note, definitely couldn’t read music—I had to start from scratch. Learning the trumpet gave me a massive appreciation for the skills I had previously taken for granted. The new perspective also made it easier to fail in more familiar areas, such as design.
3. Refuse¹
My usual advice when hitting a wall is to step away. Your challenge here, though, isn't in regard to your familiar practice, so stepping away will do no good. Instead, you need to lean into the new skill—into the unknown—and do the opposite.
No matter what, you must absolutely refuse to give up.
Force yourself through the wall regardless of how bloodied you become. If the wall stops you, you’ll never get to the end, which means you’ll never fulfill a cycle of learning. Don’t worry about how crappy the result may be—getting to the end will be an accomplishment all on its own. You can always go back to revise ... but you can’t revise what isn’t there.
—Joey
PS: Your question made me realize there is an inverse relationship to familiarity and persistence. The more familiar something is, the more important it is to step away. The less familiar, the more important it is to persevere at all costs. Thank you for helping me recognize this.
Notes:
1. I had to work to get three Rs here. Who doesn’t love a little language challenge every now and then?
Miles Davis, legendary trumpet player and my inspiration to keep going when I really felt like I'd reached my limit. Check out the album "Sketches of Spain" if you're interested.
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